Tuesday, 2 March 2010

Blackpool journalists vote for strike action

Journalists employed by Johnston's Blackpool Gazette and Herald have voted to take strike action in a dispute over management proposals to change working arrangements and a failure to guarantee there will be no compulsory redundancies.
In a 97 per cent turnout, 88.9 per cent of NUJ members voted to take industrial action, with more than 80 per cent voting to strike.
North of England NUJ organiser Chris Morley said: “The scale of the positive vote in favour of strike action shows the strength of feeling among staff at the Blackpool Gazette and Herald. We don’t believe the company has been open and honest about its future intentions, and they must now come clean.
“We have seen what has happened elsewhere when Johnston Press attempted to implement its content management system without proper staff consultation. Rushed implementation has led to extra stress and additional workloads.”

About Me

I am a freelance journalist based in the UK and was deputy editor of Press Gazette, the journalists' magazine, from 1993 until 2006. I want to give an independent view on media matters.
You can contact me with stories, ideas and comments by email at jon.slattery369@btinternet.com You can also follow me on Twitter @jonslattery